The SF Book Club Meme

[stonebender]

Snagged from 19_crows

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk* beside the ones you loved.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov *
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein *
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson *
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury *
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr. *
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov *
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison *
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany Many, many times
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card *
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman *
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl *
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams *
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin *
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny *
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon *
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute *
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson *
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein *
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer *


I'm a little surprised at how many I haven't read. Where the hell are the women? Seems like there should be a Tiptree or a CL Moore in there somewhere. Yeah I know there are a few women authors, but still...

Comments

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

Moore, maybe, but Tiptree's one novel was not really up to snuff. (But ... h'mmm ... was Moore's best work even in the timeframe? On the other hand, neither was The Foundation Trilogy, so go figure.)

If I were going to observe the missingness of women, how about Connie Willis? Octavia Butler? Joanna Russ? Curely these belong there at least as much as, uh, #48.

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

I'm such an air head. Certainly Octavia! In my opinion Connie Willis's strongest writing is in her short fiction. Although I'm far from reading most of her work. But of course Connie Willis. I'm not sure how important her work is to science-fiction but I love Pat Murphy's The City, Not Long After.

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

Nah, not an airhead -- just a victim of society (as are we all). As egalitarian as folks like you and I like to think we are, we have to actually take time to think to remember women (and especially non-white women) in SF.

My favorite Pat Murphy books are the sadly forgotten Nadia and (still) her first, The Shadow Hunter, but the point is I guess that she's written a lot of good stuff; you're right, though, that I question how "influential" even her best has been. Connie Willis, The Doomsday Book. Nancy Kress and her Beggars?

And, of course, you know who's going to be profoundly "influential" on the next generation of F/SF writers, is J.K. gawdhe'pus Rowling. I love her work but she's going to spawn eighteen gazillion horrid imitations, just like the Tolklones.

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the Beggers Trilogy (is that what its called?). Pat Cadigan is another and Nalo Hopkinson!

I haven't read Shadow Hunter yet, Nadia was great as is Willis's stuff. I just prefer short work.

As far JK is concerned its already happening. The Potterites are falling.